It's hard for the Pittsburgh Steelers to complain about a 3-1 start to the regular season, especially given the team's status as the leader in a tough AFC North division. Aside from a Week 4 blunder against the Indianapolis Colts, the defense has been stout, while quarterback Justin Fields has played nearly turnover-free football as Russell Wilson continues to work back from a calf injury. Fields played a very strong game out in Indianapolis, but one of his few mistakes potentially cost the team points early in the second half of the contest.
The Steelers were set up nicely after a phenomenal punt return by Calvin Austin III. Unfortunately, it took only three plays to cough up the football. As Fields attempted to elude a Colts defender, he got tripped up on himself and fumbled the football, which led to Indianapolis taking over near midfield. Looking back at it, not losing the yardage (or fumbling) could have led to a Steelers field goal, and the final score was 27-24.
Ben Roethlisberger reacts to each game Pittsburgh plays on his podcast, Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger. In the most recent episode, he discussed the mistake from Fields, and the potential downside of having a quarterback always looking to use his legs when in trouble.
"He had a bad play and he owned up to it, and I'm talking about the long sack and the fumble. They talked about it after. He said [the Colts' defender] was hot, so basically that guy comes unblocked, you gotta get the ball out of your hands. No one's blocking him, so you have to throw it to a hot receiver and whether he was looking the other direction [or] didn't see hot hot at the time, didn't know it, didn't get the ball out of his hand."
Instead of making the decision to get rid of the ball quickly, Fields tried to make a play and ended up costing the Steelers both possession and the option to kick a field goal. This would end up being a crucial moment in the game.
Roethlisberger detailed more about the play, and explained why having a signal-caller as athletic as Fields can be both a big-time advantage, but also lead to potential issues on the field. He noted the difference between Fields and the veteran in Joe Flacco.
"The thing about a guy like Justin, who is such a good athlete and can do so much with his legs, where in that situation, Joe Flacco just for instance if we're talking about the two quarterbacks that were in there -- if the same exact things happen for Joe, Joe's either going to throw it away incomplete because he can't make that guy miss, or he's gonna throw it and complete it because he knows he's hot... It's a double-edged sword having a guy that is as athletic as Justin is."
This is one part of Fields' game that has held him back from really growing as a quarterback at the NFL level. He has always had the talent, but certain decision-making and turnovers had plagued him while with the Chicago Bears. He certainly looks better with the Steelers, and will need to look back at the tape from his fumble and maybe even take a few notes from Roethlisberger's analysis.
Steelers Still Can't Be Too Upset With The Play Of Fields Through Four Weeks
Despite the unfortunate turnover against the Colts, Fields has done much of what the coaching staff has asked of him since Week 1. He has only thrown one interception (that wasn't his fault) and has the team sitting at 3-1 after one month of football. He has shown flashes of what one needs to be as a franchise quarterback at the NFL level, and it will be interesting to see how the organization's quarterback situation develops throughout the 2024 regular season.
